Tunisia's revolt, which was triggered by the martyr Bouazezi's self-immolation and helped overthrow the "former" president,Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, carries many messages and lessons to be read and analysed. It is an indicator of the direction of the political and humanitarian compass not only in Tunisia and the Arab region, but also across the globe - for what has taken in place in Tunisia is a global event par excellence.
The very first of such messages alludes to the jubilation with which Arab nations have welcomed the news; laymen in the Arab world received the news about Ben Ali's departure with a note of optimism, believing that the event will spark change in most of the Arab states ruled by totalitarian, corrupt regimes. Although Ben Ali is not the first Arab president to be overthrown in recent times - with Saddam Hussein's overthrow in Iraq perhaps the most notorious - the fact that Ben Ali has been brought down by his own people, without foreign intervention, and that this was a popular revolt rather than military coup, has been greeted with general satisfaction, unlike the controversy of the Iraq invasion.
